


His Handsome Hero

by rumplestitlskin



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, anyway check out shadow and deep end by birdy, but this doesnt end in a tragedy !!!! i think, i love being emo, that last bit was so extra lmao im sorry, this whole thing was extra tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 01:30:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6591166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rumplestitlskin/pseuds/rumplestitlskin





	His Handsome Hero

Rumple staggered into the back of the shop, almost out of breath. He had run all the way to the shop, back to her, back to his Belle. It was only when he was standing over her lifeless form that he realized he could have simply magicked himself back to the shop from Hades’ lair.

He dropped to his knees, a faltering smile on his lips as reached into the pocket of his coat. His hand brushed against the hilt of the dagger but he ignored it, and instead fished out a folded piece of paper. Rumple then pressed it into Belle’s hands and kissed them softly.

“I-We did it, Belle,” he whispered, leaning in close to her.

When it seemed clear she wasn’t about to wake up, he swallowed, and his hand wandered to her face and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She looked so beautiful, even when she was asleep like this.

“Hades has been defeated, the contract on our child has been destroyed. This is all that remains as a reminder of everything that’s happened,” he said, tapping lightly at the scrap of paper between her fingers.

“That and this,” Rumple added, his finger lingering over the small scar that remained on her finger from when she had pricked it with Zelena’s handy little sleeping curse.

There was a dreadful silence in the air, the kind they had at funerals and he was desperate to break it.

“Belle, I understand why you did this now. I didn’t before, I thought you were wrong to do this to yourself but I see it all so clearly now. You did this to protect our child, you did what you thought what was best-you were simply being a mother. If you hadn’t sacrificed yourself, there is no doubt Hades would have snatched this baby from us. I’m just sorry that I-I hadn’t seen the truth earlier.”

There was a heavy feeling in his chest, it was an unbearable pain that he felt whenever he looked at her. She was trapped under that sleeping curse, she was lost to the world-she didn’t even know that their baby was safe.

“I wanted everything, Belle, I became too obsessed with wanting both power and love that I forgot the most important thing. I forgot that you can’t have everything in this life, especially when you’re the Dark One,” Rumple said, laughing at himself.

“Sometimes you have to choose what you think is best for yourself-no matter the consequences.”

His hands were trembling as he gently placed them on her stomach, wondering if the new life growing inside of her could hear his voice.

“I know I’ve told you that I can’t be the man you always wanted me to be but-but I can try. For you. For the baby.”

And he meant it. He had promised his son the same thing but he had failed at that. He wouldn’t fail again, not with Belle. He had come too far for this, for her. Damned it all the hell if he didn’t at least try.

Behind him, he heard feet shuffling and someone calling his name but he paid them no mind. Whatever it was, they could wait.

“Gold-“ Regina started but Emma lifted a hand to stop her. The two women watched the man who was kneeling before his unconscious wife, his expression was that of a man in mourning. He had eyes only for Belle, they weren’t even sure that he’d heard them come in.

His body was shaking, and Emma was pretty sure he was crying. They had interrupted something intimate, and every cell in her body was screaming at her to leave. She turned to Regina but the dark haired woman was staring at her old friend with saddened eyes. As much as she wanted to hate Gold, Emma knew he was just as human as any of them, perhaps even more. If he couldn’t get Belle to wake, she knew Rumplestiltskin would simply cease to be.

She watched as he lowered his head and cast her eyes away, but it only lasted a second. Emma’s eyes wandered back to the couple, and she saw how gently he pressed his lips against Belle’s and waited for a miracle. 

But none came.

“N-no,” he whispered, holding back a sob.

Regina moved, but realized she could not help. Emma dabbed away at her own face, witnessing this tragedy was not something she had signed up for. They had come here to tell Gold about the portal that would bring them all back home, but now she wasn’t sure if he would even want to go back home.

Rumple looked down at Belle, her face was pale and her skin was as cold as ever. For a second, he thought he was going to throw up. It hadn’t worked, his kiss had not been enough to bring her back. He scooped her head up, bringing it closer to him so his lips were an inch away from her ear.

“I love you, Belle, please, come back to me,” he whispered, trails of tears dripping down his nose.

“Please,” he pleaded and kissed her forehead, his mind focusing on nothing but Belle. Suddenly there were flashes of images in his mind-

She was standing there in her golden dress, smiling nervously at him as she held up the chipped cup. She was falling and she landed right in his arms-he could almost catch her scent. They were standing in the forest and she suddenly threw her arms around him. Now they were in the library-she was laughing at something, probably at something he’d said. The memories were moving faster. She was standing in his shop- he was asking her to marry him. She was kissing him, her hands were moving to tug at his hair. They were in bed together, she giggled as he playfully kissed her nose. “We’re going to have a baby!” he heard her yell, the memories getting fuzzier.

“Belle!” he cried out, wanting to live forever in this strange dream.

“Rumple!”

He opened his eyes slowly, feeling as though he’d been kicked in the chest. A woman was smiling up at him, she looked so familiar- her bright blue eyes and brown hair…he knew her. And then it hit him.

“Belle!” he yelled, his heart pounding furiously against his chest. She had woken up, she was alive-this meant that True Love’s Kiss had worked.

“We did it, Belle, we saved-“

Before he could finish, Belle had grabbed him by his tie and kissed him full on the mouth. Rumple simply stood there, unsure of what was happening, his hand awkwardly creeping to her back. When she released him from her grasp, he had to take several deep breaths.

“You saved me!” Belle exclaimed, steadying herself.

Rumple’s knees were hurting from sitting in that position but he couldn’t care less. Belle was alive! And she had just kissed him! Ignoring the fact that his cheeks were now burning, he drank in the sight of her greedily, as if he was afraid he would never see her again.

“I didn’t do anything, really. It was all you.”

It was true. She was the one who saved him, it had always been her. She was his saving grace, his handsome hero.

“The contract is gone, Belle! Our child is safe!” he told her excitedly as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“I know! I heard everything, Rumple,” Belle said, her hands clutching the sides of his face.

He blushed again, he hadn’t meant for her to have heard everything.

“Your curse, Rumple, is it-?”

Rumple quickly pulled the dagger out to examine it and saw that it was now blank. His name had been wiped off the blade, he was no longer the Dark One. He didn’t expect for it to be this freeing, it was as though a gaping hole in his heart had been stitched up-he felt whole for the first time in centuries.

“I guess so,” he whispered.

“You didn’t have to,” she said, pointedly.

He smiled, and felt as though butterflies were fluttering around in his chest.

“I wanted to.”

She smiled back, and leaned in to give him another peck on the lips.

“Ahem.”

Rumple and Belle turned to see Regina and Emma standing there, both red in the face.

“We have a portal that’s waiting to take us home. Maybe when we get back there you two can do whatever the hell it is you’re doing now,” Regina suggested and Belle giggled.  
Rumple stood up, and bit back a gasp when he realized that with the curse gone, his limp had returned. Belle helped steady him, her arm was wrapped around him, holding him securely. Regina walked to the corner of the room and pulled a walking stick amongst the pile of umbrellas.

He took it from her, and nodded gratefully.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Regina said, casting a furtive glance at the shop before making her way outside. Emma smiled in agreement and followed the woman out rather hurriedly.

“It’s time to go home,” Belle added as the two began their way towards the door.

“I think I’m already there,” Rumple whispered, glancing at Belle with a grin.

“Save the cheesy pickup lines for when we get back to Storybrooke.” Belle replied as she eyed the large portal in the middle of the main street. She caught sight of David, Henry and the rest of them and waved brightly.

“Ah yes, Storybrooke, I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually miss that little town,” Rumple said, thinking about their big house and how it would be a home for three in a couple of months.

“Don’t get too excited, Rumplestiltskin,” she warned.

“We have to tell my father about my pregnancy and who knows how well he’s going to take that. You might find yourself wishing you’d just stayed here instead,” Belle teased and Rumple chuckled lightly.

“If you promise to let me tell him, I’ll stay here however long you like.”

She laughed and nudged him playfully. They caught up to the rest of the group and saw that Killian was shooting them a rather annoyed look.

“Ah, now that our honorable guests have decided to show up, what say we finally leave this hellhole behind?” he said and everyone else nodded along. It was time to say goodbye to the Underworld, and they were pretty sure no one would come to miss this horrible land.

Rumple felt Belle lean her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. She tugged the sleeve of his coat and he looked down to see she was holding the torn up piece of contract in her hand. He took it from her, and felt a rush of relief flood through him. He still couldn’t believe it.

“When we get back home, I want us to have a fresh start. And that means leaving all of this behind,” Rumple said as he motioned to the scrap of paper. Belle nodded, and watched as he flung it into the air.

She gripped his hand tight as they all faced the portal.

“Ready?” Rumple heard Charming yell.

He turned to Belle and smiled.

“Ready.”


End file.
